Better Know… LaTisha from Young Adult Finances

This is our fourth “Better Know A Blogger” interview. We’ll be posting one per day, except on Saturdays and Sundays, leading up to the 2012 Financial Blogger Conference next month. The purpose of this series is to introduce you to some excellent bloggers from all across the web who are able to shed light on topics ranging from debt to saving money to investing. (Each interview is conducted via e-mail and then published here)

Your blog’s “About” page says that you decided to use your financial knowledge to help other young adults when you were working part time – which led you to start your blog. Given today’s economy, is that kind of initiative necessary for young people to be successful?

Definitely! I believe that today’s college graduates have to attack the job market with everything they can. Just doing an internship is not enough. You have to make a name for yourself before you even start applying for jobs. Whether it’s within your industry by attending and interacting at functions or starting a blog that showcases your skills. The competition is fierce for the top jobs and you really have to stand out.

You have a great blog post about 10 celebrities who are actually frugal. Do you think young people’s financial behavior is negatively influenced by many of the ‘role models’ on TV (the Paris Hiltons, Kim Kardashians, etc.)?

Yes, but this is really not limited to young adults. Most people who watch tv are influenced by it. That’s the job of this type of media, to influence the way you shop. The only way to avoid this influential media is to live in a box. But obviously, that’s not possible. So it is best to combat that with good influences to keep the balance.

Recently there has been a lot of attention to the growing amount of student loan debt among college graduates and what impact it will have on our economy. Do you think the concern is warranted? What advice would you give a high school Senior applying to college today?

It’s really sad to see that so many students are graduating with a heavy load of student loan debt, myself included. One thing I would recommend is that as a student, you borrow no more than your expected first year’s salary. That is a hard and fast rule to which I held myself. Some students are leaving school with massive student loan debt that they will spend years and years trying to pay off. The best scenario is to work part time through school and put that towards your tuition.

Do you tend to focus more on saving money or making extra money?

I personally focus on making more money. Mostly because I feel that I am not at my highest earning potential. I consider saving money to be efficient and making more money to be effective. Just like any business, you cannot be the best at both efficiency and effectiveness, so you have to pick one. Although there is a balance, I currently focus my efforts on effectiveness; eventually maximum efficiency will come.

What advice do you have for young people who are working to get out of debt as quickly as possible?

Keep at it. Remember how long it took you to get into debt. That is at least how long it will take you to get out. Just like gaining weight. You did not wake up one day with an extra 200 pounds, it took you several years of laziness to gain those pounds. So create a plan and stick with it. You can do it!

Were there any bloggers or writers who inspired you to start your own blog?

You know, I didn’t even realize what I had was a blog when I first started. I called it a website for the longest time because I had this vision of bloggers that did not match how I saw myself and my website. However, I do remember reading John Chow and Copyblogger before I got started.

Last question: Did you attend FinCon last year, and if so what was most memorable about it? Also, what are you looking forward to at this year’s conference and do you have any tips for a first-time attendee?

I did not get a chance to attend FinCon last year but I am very excited to meet fellow bloggers and learn as much as I can. I am expecting to attend some great workshops to help me really push my blog and brand to the next level as well as forge new friendships and build new synergies. I’m excited to go!

This post was published by Ben, Content Manager and Writer for » ReadyForZero.
ReadyForZero is a company that helps people get out of debt on their own with a simple and free online tool that can automate and track your debt paydown.

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